Hearth and Home

When the weather turns damp and coastal winds blow, nothing says
comfort like a fire in the hearth.

In coastal construction, old ways often really are better ways.
As we build four fireplaces in our Nantucket project house, it's
nice to talk about a category that's improved by new approaches.
Early masons didn't have the advantages of weather-sealing
products, concrete blocks, and specially designed flue liners. Yet
some time-honored considerations remain.

Pure practicalityInstead of serving as primary heating systems, fireplaces now
offer other comforts. In places like Nantucket, tradition makes
them obligatory. But having a fireplace means poking a hole in your
roof and adding to maintenance responsibilities. In other coastal
locales, you might be better served with a different focal point,
such as a window with a great ocean view.

The local angleTrust techniques that have stood the test of time. The
fireplace designs for our project house are similar to those in
area homes dating back a century or more. Local masons are
intimately familiar with them. This expertise reduces the
likelihood of smoke problems at the fireplace level and water
damage where chimneys meet the roof.

One common approach in Nantucket involves installing a lead
shelf within the chimney a few courses above the roofline. During
heavy coastal storms, the shelf provides extra defense against
windblown rain, which can penetrate upper-level chimney bricks and
cause leaks below. Water absorbed by bricks drains onto the
interior shelf and escapes through "weep holes" left between
bricks.

Keeping it simpleIt's possible to run multiple fireplaces into a single
chimney. But each fireplace must have its own route through its own
flue liner (a ceramic pipe with an opening proportionate to the
size of the fireplace). Old fireplaces fed into a single flue,
increasing fire and smoke hazards. The straighter the line smoke
follows from the firebox to the chimney top, the better.

The same rule of simplicity applies to the correlation of the
width, depth, and height of the firebox; the opening of the throat
to the flue; and the flue liner diameter. Keeping those elements in
proportion to one another minimizes danger and maximizes
efficiency.

Combine traditional savvy with modern building methods and
you'll ensure your home fires stay where they belong―in the
fireplace.